Can anyone tell me what this plant is?
September 15, 2015 10:47 AM Subscribe
I'm trying to ID a plant in my back yard that recently flowered. Photos of the plant in question. I'm located in southern Illinois.
Late last summer I got some kind of (medicinal?) root as part of our CSA. I decided that I wasn't going to use it but thought since it was a root that it might grow if I planted it so I did. Now I think it has grown into a tall ~4' plant with pretty yellow flowers and I'm trying to figure out what it is. It is also possible that is plant is a completely unrelated volunteer. Thanks all!
Late last summer I got some kind of (medicinal?) root as part of our CSA. I decided that I wasn't going to use it but thought since it was a root that it might grow if I planted it so I did. Now I think it has grown into a tall ~4' plant with pretty yellow flowers and I'm trying to figure out what it is. It is also possible that is plant is a completely unrelated volunteer. Thanks all!
Best answer: Eat it, it's delicious.
Thin raw slices with a vinaigrette or a yoghurt based dressing.
Cooked into a soup either on a vegetarian or chicken base, then blended and served with either bacon crisps or toasted mustard seeds.
Steamed and served as you would serve potatoes.
When I was young, it was very fashionable and there were tons of recipes, these are just the ones I remember and still use.
posted by mumimor at 11:17 AM on September 15, 2015
Thin raw slices with a vinaigrette or a yoghurt based dressing.
Cooked into a soup either on a vegetarian or chicken base, then blended and served with either bacon crisps or toasted mustard seeds.
Steamed and served as you would serve potatoes.
When I was young, it was very fashionable and there were tons of recipes, these are just the ones I remember and still use.
posted by mumimor at 11:17 AM on September 15, 2015
Sometimes called a "sunchoke." (Fun note: in this context, "Jerusalem" isn't a reference to the city in Israel, but an adaptation of the Italian for "sun-following," "girasole.")
posted by Gilbert at 11:47 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Gilbert at 11:47 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: How exciting, sunchokes were actually on my list of stuff I wanted to grow! So based on the instructions here I should cut the flowers right away and give them to my sweetie, stomp on the stems, wait for the first frost and then dig them up eat most and replant what's left in a contained bed? Any other cultivation tips or recipes?
posted by metaphorever at 12:10 PM on September 15, 2015
posted by metaphorever at 12:10 PM on September 15, 2015
My husband, who adores sunchokes, just said: Poach slowly in milk until soft, remove and set aside. Make a white sauce out of the milk, put chokes back in, devour. Spend the next two days farting. Can also add mushrooms for extra umami goodness.
posted by Specklet at 12:35 PM on September 15, 2015
posted by Specklet at 12:35 PM on September 15, 2015
Spend the next two days farting.
A feature, not a bug.
posted by Billiken at 12:48 PM on September 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
A feature, not a bug.
posted by Billiken at 12:48 PM on September 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I'm no expert but I've been growing then for about 5 years. I have never clipped the flower shoots or bent the stems over, and I've still gotten very nice harvests. I have found that tubers develop late in the season, so don't go digging up the plants just yet..
posted by jon1270 at 7:47 PM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jon1270 at 7:47 PM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
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